What are Prepositions? (at, in, on)
Contributors: UWC Staff
Definition of Prepositions
Prepositions are grammatical words that have no inherent meaning like a noun or verb
would. Instead, they contribute to the grammatical meaning of the sentence. What
preposition a writer should use depends upon the context of the sentence. The
prepositions at, on, and in are the most common, but, of, for, and about are also discussed in
the following pages.
The most common uses of prepositions are to show location. However, in English, location
can be literal or metaphorical. The 3 main types of preposition uses for at, on, and in are:
 Spatial/Physical
 Time
 Metaphorical
Spatial (Physical) Preposition Uses
Spatial prepositions are used to show a physical location. How specific the location is,
depends upon the preposition that you choose to use.
At
The preposition “at” is used to show a general point or place.
We met at Starbucks for coffee.
Using “at” here is somewhat ambiguous, as “we” could have met outside of
Starbucks, inside of Starbucks, or in the Starbucks parking lot. However, what is
relevant is that “we” met somewhere near Starbucks.
I ran into Jonathon at work today.
On
The preposition “on” is used to show location when connected to a surface without walls or
specific boundaries.
She put the glass on the table.
We walked on the dirt road for miles.
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In
The preposition “in” is used for locations where boundaries are present (such as walls) that
define being “inside.”
While I was in New York I bought a sweater.
A big city like New York is often seen as having large buildings that can “encase” you if you are
in the city.
I was in Starbucks when I bought a coffee.
Because of the use of “in,” it is assumed that the individual is literally inside the walls of
Starbucks. Contrast this with the use of “at.”
Time Proposition Uses
At
The preposition “at” is used to describe a small unit of time, such as hours or
minutes.
We will meet at nine ‘o clock on Saturday.
“At” is used to show the specific, small unit of time of nine ‘o clock.
At 10:32 in the morning, my car was hit.
On
The preposition “on” is used to describe a restricted amount of time, which
includes dates and days of the week.
We will meet at nine o’ clock
on Saturday.
Here, we are talking about a day of the week, so we use the preposition “on” since
this preposition is used for more lengthy time references than “at.”
The party will be
on June
22nd.
In
The preposition “in” is used to describe a broad and/or lengthy unit of time. This
includes: years, seasons and months.
We can plan the event for some time in October.
Here, “in” is used because we are talking about a more extensive point in time than
h o u r s or even days. We are talking about an entire month.
In 1776, the U.S. declared independence.
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Metaphorical Time Preposition Uses
Prepositional use in metaphors is a complicated aspect of prepositions. To help the
process, think of abstract ideas as being a physical box. Some examples of abstract ideas
are: love, danger, difficulties, state of being, and words. Imagine each noun as being its
own separate box that people can step into, walk through, or get out of.
Here is a list of examples of how these prepositions and nouns can function in a sentence:
Jimmy and Kelly are in love.
Sarah is going through a difficult time right now.
I’m trying to get out of a bad situation at work.
If you can’t express yourself in words then how can I understand you?
I’m in an awful mood.
In this way, prepositions are used to show location in metaphorical circumstances. Moods
and abstract situations are often thought of as something that a person is metaphorically
inside of, thus the preposition “in” is used. Metaphorical prepositions are tricky and can take
practice to master, but remembering to think of each scenario as being something that a person
is “inside of” can help the process.
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The Preposition “Of”
Contributors: UWC Staff
The preposition “of” is somewhat unique because it does not rely heavily on location, as other
prepositions do. The preposition “of” is for a number of reasons:
As an integrative or relationship function.
The roof of the green house was orange.
The preposition “of” shows the relationship between the green house and the roof. The
roof is part of the green house.
Peter was in the army, but wasn’t of it.
The preposition “of” shows that even though Peter was physically in the army, he did not
have a special relationship/allegiance to the army.
Showing possession.
James is the boyfriend of Veronica.
The preposition “of” shows that, in a way, James belongs to Veronica.
The remark of the judges was not good.
The preposition “of” shows how the remark belongs to the judges.
Noun and descriptor integration.
Robert was glad the beast of a man was his friend.
Instead of using the phrase “the man that was like a beast,” by inserting the preposition
“of” we can turn it into the “beast of a man,” with “beast” describing the kind of man that
“he” was. Note: this is a somewhat specialized use of the preposition “of’ and cannot be
used with every description word and noun
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The Preposition “For”
Contributors: UWC Staff
The preposition “for” is uses for grammatical purposes when expressing purpose or belonging of
something. It is generally used in two specific ways:
To show purpose.
Sara went to the store for milk.
Here, the preposition “for” is showing what Sara was going to the store to get.
For goodness’ sake, Henry, stop being so strange!
The preposition “for” in this sentence, shows that Henry should stop being strange for the
reason of goodness.
To show a length of time.
Marcus will be gone for at least one week.
Here, the preposition “for” is showing an expanse of time that Marcus will be gone,
which is one week.
The cookies will be baking for about thirty minutes.
The preposition “for” is a connecting word that shows the cookies will be banking for a
certain span of time.
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The Preposition “About”
Contributors: UWC Staff
The preposition “about” is used to show the relationship between a subject and a topic, a subject
and a location, or a subject and time.
Use as a topic
Jennifer knows a lot about languages.
Here, the preposition “about” connects Jennifer’s knowledge to the topic, languages.
The story about the elephant had all of us laughing.
Again, here “about” is signaling the topic of the story, which was the elephant.
Use for location
The girl wert about the city.
Here, the preposition “about” is showing a location concerning where the girl is. She is
in the city, likely in motion walking around in it.
Use for time
The party will start about 8:00.
Here, the preposition “about” is used to show an approximate time that the party will
start.
Sharon is going to leave for class at about 7:30.
“About” is used to show an approximate time that Sharon is going to leave for class.
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